Brian Tedder/Collegian

After playing its first 19 games away from home, the No. 17 Massachusetts softball team will open up its home schedule Friday at the UMass Softball Complex.

Going 13-6 overall (2-0 Atlantic 10) away from the friendly confines of Amherst, the Minutewomen now look to gain an edge against conference foe St. Bonaventure. Home-field advantage has been good to UMass as the team has had nothing but success on its home turf.

The Minutewomen are currently 155-13-1 all-time at home, a .920 winning percentage. It has been 39 games since UMass has lost a game at home, dating back to a 2-1 loss to Atlantic 10 foe Charlotte back on April 6, 2006.

In 85 conference games at home, the Minutewomen have only been on the losing end four times. UMass, which has hosted 12 A-10 Conference Tournaments, has won 10 conference titles on its home turf.‘ ‘ ‘

UMass has never lost to the Bonnies at home, holding a 9-0 advantage all-time.

Pair of aces

In just her second appearance as a starter for the Minutewomen, freshman pitcher Sara Plourde threw a spectacular no-hitter against Dayton on March 22, proving that senior Brandice Balschmiter is not the only one mowing down opposing batters this season.

Plourde, who only allowed one baserunner when she hit the first batter she faced, fanned nine hitters en route to the 11-0 victory over the Flyers (3-20, 1-3 A-10) to complete the sweep by a combined score of 27-0.

Plourde’s no-hitter, the 73rd in school history, earned her A-10 Rookie of the Week honors.

In the first game, Balschmiter and junior Bailey Sanders combined for the shutout as part of the one-two punch the Minutewomen feature. Although she’s only appeared in five games, Plourde leads UMass with a 1.02 earned-run average, surrendering only three runs in 20 2/3 innings.

The elder starter, Balschmiter, has continued to rewrite the UMass record books. Going 10-4 on the season with a 1.44 ERA, Balschmiter won her 100th career game earlier this season and earned her 22nd A-10 Player of the Week award.

Many of her career totals, however ‘- including a 1.04 ERA, 102 wins, 968 strikeouts and 54 shutouts ‘- trail former UMass legend and Olympian Danielle Henderson, who holds the majority of the school’s pitching records.

While she continues to build her legacy during her last season with the Minutewomen, Balschmiter can look ahead to a pro career after being drafted in the first round of the National Pro Fastpitch draft by the Chicago Bandits.

Stormin’ Normandin

When the UMass pitching staff fails to silence the opposition’s bats, the Minutewomen still have their leadoff hitter, junior outfielder Carly Normandin, to set up the rest of the team’s offense and produce offense herself.

Normandin, who has excelled in the leadoff spot, has done more than get on base for UMass as she has become the team’s most potent offensive threat. Normandin leads the Minutewomen in four categories: batting average (.387) runs (18), steals (five) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (1.054).

‘She’s become everything we would hope she would become for us,’ UMass coach Elaine Sortino said. ‘We couldn’t ask for a more versatile leadoff hitter because not only is she very strong, she can take it over the wall, she can do something small if you back up too much.’
‘ Normandin, who went 6-for-7 with four RBIs and five runs scored, led UMass offensively last weekend against Dayton from the top of the lineup. As she has done all year, Normandin shone as a leadoff hitter, scoring the first run of Game 1 of the doubleheader, while still driving in four runs in the win.

‘She’s our pyromaniac, she’s our sparkplug, she’s the one who gets things started and we’re very fortunate to have her and she’s a great centerfielder,’ Sortino said.

Nick O’Malley can be reached at [email protected].